Canucks defenseman Yannick Weber entered the 2014-15 season knowing he had to be more reliable at five-on-five. That much was made clear by then-new coach Willie Desjardins.

Fast forward to the present and Weber has done just that. The 26-year-old has not been a defensive liability and, moreover, he leads all Vancouver blue-liners with 11 goals and has been a big reason the Canucks’ power play has climbed all the way to No. 8 in the NHL.

Consider: of his team’s last 11 power-play goals, Weber has scored four of them and has assists on two more. His booming right-hand shot from the point, on full display last night versus the Coyotes, has many in Vancouver recalling the days when Sami Salo would hammer it home from back there.

“This is the team that gave me a second chance at a career in this league after Montreal and I’ve had some real good looks here,” he said, per The Province. “I’ve gotten a lot of trust from the coaches here and that goes a long way for any player.”

But in the wake of Luca Sbisa’s $10.8 million extension, will the Canucks have enough cap space to get something done? Because they also have Alex Edler, Kevin Bieksa, Dan Hamhuis, and Chris Tanev under contract through at least next season; those five will have a combined cap hit of $22.15 million in 2015-16.

It’s possible the Canucks could convince Weber to take a hometown discount next season, with the promise of more to come in the future.

It’s also possible they could try and trade Bieksa, who has just one year remaining before he can become an unrestricted free agent. But the 33-year-old franchise stalwart would need to agree to it, and leaving Vancouver isn’t something he’s shown much of a desire to do.

Losing Weber could hurt though.

“He’s played real well for us,” Desjardins said. “He’s made a difference. … To be successful, you need contributions like that from different guys and when you look back at the year … he made a big difference how he stepped up.”

The Vancouver Canucks have locked up one of their key young pieces through 2020-21, signing 25-year-old defenseman Chris Tanev to a five-year contract extension.

“Chris has developed into an excellent NHL defenseman and is an extremely important part of our team,” said GM Jim Benning in a release. “He’s a player you want on the ice in the most critical points of a game and we’re excited about having him with our group as we continue to play to win today, with an eye to the future.”

Undrafted, Tanev originally signed with the Canucks in 2010 as a college free agent. He’s since played 216 games in the NHL, scoring 10 goals with 33 assists, while being deployed in a predominantly defensive role.

This season, Tanev has skated with Edler on the Canucks’ top pairing. He also averages a team-high 2:46 on Vancouver’s third-ranked penalty kill.

Agent Wade Arnott on Chris Tanev deal : "The battle was the ufa years, it's why it took so long." #Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks will get some much-needed defensive reinforcements tonight against Anaheim, as Chris Tanev will play for the first time since suffering a concussion on Feb. 14.

“It will be fun to get back out there,” Tanev said, per News 1130. “I am just going to go out there, work hard and trying and keep things simple. They are a good team over there so it will be a tough game to jump right back in to.”

Tanev, a pending RFA, was averaging nearly 22 minutes a night for Vancouver prior to getting hurt and is arguably the club’s top defensive defenseman. He leads the team and sits 16th in the NHL in blocked shots, with 131.

The Vancouver Canucks, inundated with injuries of late, will actually have a player returning to the lineup tonight in Boston.

Nick Bonino (11G, 14A) is expected to be back centering the second line. The 26-year-old has been out since Feb. 9, when he hurt his foot blocking a shot versus Minnesota.

“It’s always good when you get some guys back,” Canucks coach Willie Desjardins said, per NHL.com. “You know he’s a big part for us and we’ve missed him while he’s been out. So if he’s back it’ll be great.”

The Canucks will still be without a number of regulars versus the Bruins, including three key defensemen, Kevin Bieksa, Alex Edler, and Chris Tanev. Winger Alex Burrows is also expected to miss tonight’s game. And, of course, Ryan Miller will be sidelined for a while, leaving the starting goalie duties to Eddie Lack.

The Canucks have two games left on their five-game trip. They finish up Thursday in Buffalo.

If Danny DeKeyser were a car, he wouldn’t be flashy like a Ferrari or Lamborghini, or even that awesome car Homer built that played La Cucaracha with its horn.

Which is to say, DeKeyser isn’t P.K. Subban or Erik Karlsson, two past Norris Trophy winners with the ability to both put up points and bring the crowd to its feet. (Nor is he a defenseman that sings La Cucaracha.)

That said, DeKeyser will get you from A to B, and he’ll do it with the minimum amount of hassle.

And as with cars, there’s a lot to be said for reliability.

Per the Detroit Free Press, Wings coach Mike Babcock says DeKeyser “makes the least mistakes of anybody on our back end. He’s an elite skater, he’s got an elite mind, he’s ultra competitive, he comes every day ready to play.”

In the short time since turning pro, DeKeyser has become yet another late-blooming d-man to make an impact in the NHL, joining the likes of current undrafted players Mark Giordano, Dan Boyle, Dan Girardi, Chris Tanev, and Torey Krug, as well as past stars like former Wing Brian Rafalski.